Asked whether the deal with Tracy and George would extend beyond Edmonton, Walker was more circumspect. George had earlier expressed an interest in getting the Canadian back for 'two or three races' prior to a possibly bigger involvement in 2009, but Walker insisted that next weekend was a toe in the water exercise for all concerned.

"For now, the immediate future is to put on as good of an entry as possible and execute the plan as best we can," he stressed, "If you talk to everyone involved and ask 'where would you like to see it go?', I think everyone wants it to happen.

"As far as Walker Racing and Paul Tracy are concerned, I believe, if we do well through the weekend at Edmonton, and Paul sees the potential that I know we have here, then I would have to think he would be interested in continuing to race in open-wheel, and maybe with us. However, that is quite a ways down the road for us. The first step is to get Edmonton out of the way and come out of there with a good result. The future will take care of itself from there."

Tagliani, meanwhile, may not be entirely out of the IndyCar picture, with rumours suggesting that he may be in line to replace the struggling Enrique Bernoldi at Conquest Racing.

Although nothing has been heard from either party, the Indianapolis Star confirmed speculation that the Canadian may be in line to partner Jaime Camara in Eric Bachelart's team, despite Bernoldi having been instrumental in bringing Sangari sponsorship from Brazil. The backing is likely to remain with Camara after a series of promising displays by the Indy Pro Series graduate.